TomAiello

Because there will be a recovery parachute on the wheelchair, which will prevent it from posing a hazard to people in the popular boating area below. Oh, and as I recall it was JT, not Miles, who did the waterski jumps. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Not really. The biggest indicators I've seen to attitudes during the course have been the student's age and previous life experiences. Folks who have been around the block a few times seem like they are in less of a hurry to prove themselves in the BASE arena. I have, in all seriousness, played with the idea of instituting a minimum age limit for my courses. Unfortunately, I've had a couple of really good students who were also very young, so I'm not sure that this is useful in that way (as a disqualifying factor). It's more of a guide to who's likely to be good than who's likely to be bad. The closest I've come to using it is to screen out some applicants from courses because I had too many young people simultaneously. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Presumably part of it being "good" training is an ability to screen out poor students. I had an interesting conversation with JP about this last year at Bridge Day. It's a very difficult topic, since the total pool of people who've actually got a statistically relevant sample of former students is vanishingly small. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Wouldn't a good training method instill some of those qualities that are necessary, and emphasize that developing them is important? So a "good" training program would both act as a filter, and try to change student attitudes and approaches? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Moved from SC to Bonfire. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I wonder how much you are going to be able to (a) convince people to teach, or (b, alternately) convince students to pay for. Will people really be willing to take the time to learn and practice skills, when they'd rather just be out jumping? Would they be willing to pay for such things? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Off topic, but have you seen Men with Brooms? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ah, I understand. Yes, buying a mixed set of gear from multiple manufacturers may increase your cost. You might try contacting Apex and asking them to compare their various containers for your needs. Since you're already committed to buying new from them, they'd have no particular need to sell you any one container over another. I've seen several DP's out here, and I know the DP is a newer model than the Vertex 2. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

For a "mostly slider down with wingsuit potential" 2 pin rig, out of those 2, I'd probably go with the Vertex. It's more "standard" in packing and closure, as well as in shape, so I think it would be easier to get started with, as well as more convenient when jumping at home. Are you looking at used containers? I'm just curious why you've settled on 2 older models of Apex container, but aren't interested in their newer 2 pin (I think it's called the DP)? Given a wider choice of containers, for your needs, I'd personally probably go with a Gargoyle. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Are you specifically looking for a wingsuit container? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'm tempted to spend the 10 bucks and see what else they have to say in the full article. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

See explanation in this thread. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Definitely needs to be digitized and posted. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There is a local BASE jumper in Dubai. The last time some folks had a near-bust there (they were seen on the security cameras, but not actually apprehended) he was yanked out of his home in the middle of the night and held for a prolonged questioning. I strongly recommend contacting him before making a try at this jump, so he can arrange to be out of town, or at least have a very solid alibi. Also, it looks like you're going to want some pretty serious tracking skills (and probably equipment). That thing has lots of underhanging topography. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Who told you this? You should ask them why my Velo snivels for 800ft when I load it at 2.4 to 1. I wasn't the original person to say that, but I did say it. I'd guess that your velocity snivels because of the canopy design. I've found that canopy design is usually more important than wingloading or canopy size in determining opening characteristics. This does not mean that wingloading or canopy size are not factors, especially when considering the differences in openings between canopies of the same model which are loaded differently. I'm uncertain as to how canopy piloting skills relate to knowledge about canopy openings. Can you explain how these things are related? Personally, I'd ask a rigger for advice about this long before I'd ask a swooper. edit: I think I may have taken that the wrong way. After coming back and checking profiles, I see that you guys are at the same DZ, which makes me think that was actually an offer to help solve the problem. Having an experienced jumper actually working on the problem, and potentially jumping the gear to check it out in person, is always going to be a better solution than relying on folks on the internet, who can't actually get their hands into the gear. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

More info here. I just found it with google, and don't know anything about it's accuracy. I'd be curious to compare the modern presidents listed there with folks like FDR, or Lincoln, or Washington. Or with presidents who had less trying terms. I wonder if a president every took a vacation while there were enemy troops in US territory? Personally, I think that we'd be better off if every president took at least a week off each year to attend a big boogie. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'm curious if anyone knows whether or not any previous presidents have taken vacations (of either the working or non-working variety) during previous armed conflicts? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You should be using a tailgate on your TARD jumps. This makes the chance of line over very low. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I have a bumper sticker on my truck which reads "No Snivelling!" I am quite interested in the art of making canopies open fast. Some of my experience may be applicable, but note that my canopies are pretty different from yours (mine are generally F-111, 7 cell, fairly large, and using mesh sliders), so take this all with a grain or three of salt. Here are some things that strike me: 1) If your snivel is the result of the slider descending slowly, have you tried grabbing the risers and pumping the slider down? This might give you a faster opening when you do it, and hence give you soft openings that you can manage on the fly. 2) If you change out the slider, you'll definitely effect the opening speed. Changing dimensions is one way to do this, but so is changing slider material. I've seen a noticeable difference between ZP and F-111 sliders, although I'll admit that the bulk of my slider material changes have been between large and small hole mesh. 3) Wing loading has definitely effected my opening speeds. Higher wingloadings and smaller canopies both open faster for me. I'd say as a first step, try pumping the risers and see if that does what you want. Of course, you could always throw on a large mesh slider and cut some bottom skin inlets into that canopy. I'd bet that would give you openings that were plenty fast enough for you. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Do you think the five thousand bucks is important in that equation? What if you took someone on for free, and worked with them until you felt comfortable that they were reasonably competent to be let go on their own (maybe a hundred or a hundred and fifty jumps, from a good spread of objects)? What if, instead of cash, what you required from them was a commitment to the learning process, that they would not go out and jump on their own until both student and teacher agreed that the time had come? Just a thought... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

In my opinion, legal sites contribute greatly to safety (by encouraging and allowing currency and practice of skills). I think that losing them would surely set us back, not in terms of ability to jump, but in terms of reducing the risk of each jump, and building skills of jumpers. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I believe you are incorrect about this. Plus, there are many non-manufacturer courses now available, where courses are close to 100% of that person's BASE business. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Rick made a jump here today on a rig that looked like he was jumping it with Carl Boenish. Randy reportedly has a rig here that was once owned by Carl. I think I'll see if he'll let me ride it for a BASE Day celebration. Happy BASE Day, everyone. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Looks like maybe we all hit the site so hard that it went down? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Please ask those kind of questions via PM. See here for my in depth discussion of this topic. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com